A Broome County man who was sentenced to 20 to 40 years in prison for molesting two young children he was babysitting will soon be eligible for parole.

Clarence Pierce Jr. of Harpursville had been convicted of two counts of sodomy and two counts of aggravated sexual abuse by a Broome County jury at a trial in 1998.

The charges were related to contact Pierce had with an 8-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy in the town of Windsor in June 1997.

Pierce was extradited from North Carolina after he was indicted on several felony counts.

According to the Press & Sun-Bulletin, the Broome County judge who sentenced Pierce told him that he had committed "one of the most despicable crimes anyone can commit."

The case was prosecuted by Michael Korchak, who was senior assistant district attorney at the time. Korchak, who now is Broome County district attorney, posted a video on Facebook on Wednesday opposing parole for Pierce.

In his message, Korchak said Pierce's parole hearing is scheduled for September. The district attorney urged people to contact the state parole board to express opposition to Pierce's possible release.

Pierce is now 67 years old. He is being held at Gouverneur Correctional Facility in St. Lawrence County.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.

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